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Consumers are being encouraged to bring reusable bags to the grocery store instead of plastic bags by one Suffolk County legislator. Stock photo

Plastic bags have replaced tumbleweeds as the de-facto street debris blowing across town, but the two have very different affects on our environment.

Environmental groups from all over the country talk about the consequences of plastic bags polluting our waterways and killing our marine life. Marine animals choke on these bags and try ingesting them, which often leads to death.

One North Shore legislator is working on reducing the amount of plastic bags we use by imposing a 5 cent tax on every bag. County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport) first tried to introduce an outright ban on plastic bags in stores earlier this year, but has since amended the bill to put a tax on the bags instead.

We support Spencer’s resolution to tax the bags, and think the Legislature should act quickly to put it in place.

Organic and green labels have become trendier over the past few years, but not where it actually counts. A measure like this could impact the environment that we so often take for granted.

We’re always careful when it comes to trusting government to make personal decisions for its citizens — in this case, which bags to use while shopping — but we have also been historically supportive of governmental measures that aim to conserve, improve or save the environment. This is a case where we believe the government should get more involved in our lives and regulate what materials we are using because of the tremendous impact it could have on our environment and the animals that inhabit it.

Other places, including Washington D.C., have already reported a significant reduction in the use of plastic bags through new tax laws. We think Suffolk County should join in on this success for the environment’s sake.

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Nazi material, along with weapons were seized from a home in Mount Sinai last June. File photo from the SCPD

American leaders in recent years have often spoken about the U.S. having a hostile political and social climate; a climate in which people are not tolerant of others’ views and in which disagreements sometimes degenerate into verbal or physical assaults.

Certainly many of us have encountered such instances or felt the sting of another person’s unprovoked hatred at some point in our lives, perhaps in the form of blind political opposition, religious intolerance or racial prejudice.

And there have been times when an ideology has endangered our personal safety, such as when Dylann Roof killed nine people at a historic black church in Charleston or when Omar Mateen opened fire at an Orlando gay nightclub, murdering 49 and injuring dozens of others — and killing many LGBT people’s already tenuous sense of safety.

Or when pro-Nazi materials were uncovered in a Long Island home alongside numerous weapons and a manual on how to make a bomb.

The Nazis did not go away with the end of World War II; the disgusting, disturbing views of Adolf Hitler have lived on in people throughout the world, whether they specifically support the swastika or simply have similar ideas and values. So it’s hard to say whether two brothers who were arrested after authorities with a search warrant seized framed photos of Hitler, Nazi flags, and books on white supremacy — as well as guns, drugs and other items — from their North Shore home last week, were always Hitler fans or just persuaded by the recent U.S. social climate.

Whatever the case may be, it’s important more than ever to be vigilant and to speak out when our gut tells us something is wrong.

Mateen had been an aggressive person throughout his life and had made violent threats before, according to media reports. Some incidents were reported at the time and others not until our nation was picking up the pieces after he exploded at Pulse.

Maybe things could have been different if more people around Mateen had the courage to speak out when he said troubling things or displayed violent or unstable tendencies.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini said community tips helped authorities ahead of their raid last week at the brothers’ Mount Sinai home. One neighbor described knowing something bad was going on because of a brawl outside the home, cars coming and going at all hours and prescription medication found in the street.

And that was not the first time neighborhood callers helped catch dangerous criminals in Suffolk, or anywhere else for that matter.

Please, don’t be afraid of being wrong or sounding prejudiced. If you get a bad feeling about something, if you suspect something strange is going on, it probably is. Call the police — they are encouraging it — and help us keep our families and friends safe.

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It’s not hard to find dirty spots in our local waters. Photo by Elana Glowatz

There’s no time to waste.

Actually that’s not true — Suffolk County residents have plenty of time to add our own waste to our water supply, and we do it every day.

That’s why it bothers us that Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s proposal to charge a $1 water quality protection fee for every 1,000 gallons of water that homes and businesses use will not be on the ballot for voter approval this November.

He has estimated it would generate roughly $75 million each year toward the environmental cause. Normally, new taxes and fees bother us even more, but these dollars would not be just thrown into the general fund. The plan was to put the money toward expanding sewer systems in Suffolk County — a dire need — and reducing the nitrogen pollution in the water we drink and in which different species live.

Much of Suffolk relies on cesspools and septic systems that can leak nitrogen from our waste into the ground. Nitrogen is in the air and water naturally, but high levels are dangerous. One harmful side effect of nitrogen is increased algae growth, which decreases the water’s oxygen supply that fish and other creatures need to live and produces toxins and bacteria that are harmful to humans.

According to Bellone’s administration, state lawmakers would not get on board with the idea to put his water surcharge on the ballot so the voters could make the final decision. Officials said more time was needed before the proposal was brought to a vote.

On the county level, Republican lawmakers also stood strongly against the proposal.

Most people use 80-100 gallons of water each day, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, so some people may have had to pay up to an extra $37 a year under the fee proposal. Big whoop — if it could help us stop poisoning ourselves and the rest of the ecosystem, we’ll pay up.

We’re disappointed this measure won’t be on the ballot this year. But it could be an opportunity for Bellone to show some leadership by making sure progress is made before 2017. Instead of worrying about being disliked for adding $37 to residents’ water bills each year, he should just take the tough action and enact the surcharge. We’ve already waited too long to get rid of our cesspools. Let’s not waste any more time and water.

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If there is but one positive to come out of the contentious primary season for both the Democratic and Republican nominations for U.S. president, it has been a spotlight on the issue of money in politics.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made “political contributions from the millionaire and billionaire class” a cornerstone target of his campaign, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been forced to respond to her clocking in millions of dollars in compensation for speeches she had given to Wall Street bankers and others while not holding public office. On the Republican side, presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump made it a public point of pride that he was not accepting money from other corporate bigwigs, but instead was self-funded or relying on small grassroots contributions.

Clearly, the electorate is sensitive to big money’s influence on politics. Ask anybody on the street if they feel that gigantic chunks of money are perverting American democracy and, chances are, they will agree with you. And here we are.

New York State watchdogs stood in front of the Smithtown office of state Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport) on Tuesday to make some noise over his stance on the Senate Republican Campaign and Housekeeping committees accepting some $16 million in contributions, thanks to a loophole in campaign finance law that allows limited liability companies to use a much higher contribution limit than corporations do. With the clock ticking before the legislative session comes to a close on June 16, groups like MoveOn.org and Common Cause New York called on Flanagan and his Republican colleagues who control the Senate to bring a bill to a vote that would close that loophole.

Flanagan did not speak at the press conference, but he did say in a statement that the legislation to close the loophole was a “red herring,” and instead said the state had bigger fish to fry if it was serious about addressing campaign finance reform, like addressing straw donors, for example.

We agree that this LLC loophole is not the end-all solution to campaign finance reform, but it is certainly a piece of it.

There is no doubt about the influence money has on elections and, later on, the votes of those who are elected. Perhaps the problem is so deeply rooted that holding press conferences like the one on Tuesday ends up being more like preaching to the choir than anything else. Some may go into office wanting to remain completely independent, but find that difficult under the pressure of the way our campaign contribution system works.

Whatever it may be, though, We the People have to find ways to unite with bigger numbers behind a common cause if we expect our elected leaders to rehabilitate their addiction to political money.

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For many, summer is the most exciting part of the year, bringing warmer weather and fewer worries. However, as you gear up for a weekend at the beach or a barbecue at a friend’s house, it’s more important than ever to remember the safety precautions you were taught when you were young — lock it up.

The Times Beacon Record Newspapers’ police blotter typically has a fair share of theft incidents that are completely avoidable, with perpetrators stealing wallets and other valuables from unlocked cars and sheds, and sometimes even houses.

Although this may seem like a no-brainer, week after week, month after month, residents continue to lose cash and property left in unlocked places.

Police have said summer months are among their busiest, with spikes in criminal activity and arrests. But it’s not only serious crimes that see a bump — petit crimes become more frequent as opportunity presents itself, which is where we see residents losing out on cash, jewelry and other valuables that may not be properly fortified.

As we head into summer and start planning family trips and getaways, take time to secure against what could potentially impact your summer fun. Lock your front doors, sheds, garages and cars, and close and lock your windows when you’re leaving your house empty for prolonged periods. Make it that much easier to have a worry-free summer.

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Councilwoman Jane Bonner recently went above and beyond the call of duty as a public servant, donating her kidney to a friend she has known for almost 40 years.

Her friend had already undergone two organ transplant surgeries and was in desperate need of a new kidney when Bonner stepped up.

He is not the only American who has been in desperate need of an organ. Many are not as lucky.

The National Kidney Foundation said that more than 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list every month, and 13 people die every day waiting for a kidney transplant.

Bonner is helping to raise awareness for a topic that many people may not be thinking about. With all the advancements medicine makes every year, and with the U.S. having literally double the number of kidneys needed to keep the population alive, it should seem shocking that people still die from kidney failure in this day and age.

Of course, donating a kidney is certainly no small feat. Anytime one undergoes surgery there is a risk. But the conversation is important to have, even with yourself. If you have two healthy kidneys, you may be able to help save another person’s life.

The Living Kidney Donors Network said that more than 80,000 people are currently on the waiting list, where most people remain for more than five years waiting for a life-saving donation while on dialysis.

The waiting list would become exponentially longer if we were to also consider all the other organs people are waiting on, such as hearts, livers and bone marrow.

Just bringing this topic more into the spotlight may spare a life. We commend Jane Bonner for having the guts to do something so huge to save another person’s life, and for sharing her story.

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Sometimes common sense gets lost in arguments about transgender people using public bathrooms. File photo

Long before communities started talking about transgender people using bathrooms of the genders they identify with, our society has operated on a policy of privates being private. When someone walks into a male or female bathroom, no one already inside asks to inspect appendages or for legal proof of sex. And if urinators use separate, closed stalls, why does it matter what organs they have?

This apparently does matter for some, given the debates taking place on our local, state and national levels regarding transgender people and which bathrooms are safe or appropriate for them to use. Those debates, however, often lose sight of common sense.

There are those who want to prohibit anyone from using a restroom built for the sex other than the one they are legally labeled with, usually citing fear of predators posing as transgender to gain access to a different bathroom for nefarious purposes. We would like to ask those people two things: When has a legal limitation stopped a pervert from doing perverted things, and why would someone pretend to be transgender for a long period of time, enduring common things like public humiliation and bullying, just to one day enter a bathroom of the opposite sex and attack someone?

If the latter were ever to occur, it would certainly be a rare instance — too rare to make the legislation, which is impossible to enforce, worth the cost of further alienating a group that is already marginalized and just wants to be accepted for who they are.

It’s not like transgender people are using a toilet in front of others. In women’s public bathrooms, there are only private stalls, and a female transitioning to male would still use a stall in a men’s public bathroom.

The least controversial solution is, of course, to have only unisex, single-person bathrooms. To that end, we would encourage developers on new projects, wherever possible, to construct those kinds of bathrooms as opposed to shared bathrooms. They are simply more comfortable for everyone anyway — who doesn’t like to be alone in a bathroom?

But that isn’t necessarily a feasible fix for existing public spaces, not that we think they need to be fixed in the first place. In fact, the argument of transgender people using specific bathrooms opening a door for perverts reminds us of people who once feared homosexuals, contending that they were more likely to be pedophiles than heterosexuals.

The details are different but the message is the same — they seem to think accommodating or accepting LGBT people will put their society at risk.

We need to move forward in our thinking and understand that transgender people want the same thing in a public bathroom that the rest of us want: to pee in peace. Let’s not start a war over public toilets.

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People at an anti-drug forum stay afterward to learn how to use the anti-overdose medication Narcan. Above, someone practices spraying into a dummy’s nostrils. Photo by Elana Glowatz

We’ve been hit with some staggering figures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 28,000 overdose deaths in 2014 as a result of heroin or opioid abuse, the highest number on record. Last year alone Suffolk County suffered 103 fatal heroin overdoses. Suffolk tallied more heroin-related overdose deaths than any county in New York from 2009 to 2013, according to the New York State Opioid Poisoning, Overdose and Prevention 2015 Report.

Although local and national initiatives have come from all different angles to try to combat the rise in heroin and opioid abuse, we think lawmakers lack focus.

Most recently, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) endorsed a large legislation package that would review and update guidelines for prescribing opioids and pain medication and require a report to Congress on the availability of substance abuse treatment in the country, among many other provisions. While we applaud any earnest effort to combat the widespread problem, there needs to be more focus from one specific angle: prevention.

With treatment and recovery options across the North Shore and with the rate at which the county is now taking down drug dealers, enforcement and rehabilitation are not our biggest problems. Instead, more needs to be done to deter kids from ever considering to try drugs in the first place. While some schools have begun to work on this, working with police to hold Narcan training sessions and informational forums, students should be seeing more than just numbers and figures, police officers or counselors.

Tracey Budd, of Rocky Point, helped Suffolk County create a public service announcement, “Not My Child,” that has been shown in schools. Budd lost her son to a heroin overdose and her message is powerful. Kids need to see the struggles that addicts and their families go through to help hammer home how dangerous drugs are.

We also urge parents to be more aware and involved. You know your child — look, listen and ask questions. There are signs in mood, behavior, habit and appearance that could warn you that there’s a serious problem. And don’t be afraid to set boundaries or to talk both about drugs and other topics that may seem difficult or awkward. Many people are drawn to drugs because of an underlying emotional issue, but letting a teenager know that nonjudgmental ears are listening could be a solution.

Frederick Douglass once famously said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Building those stronger children is how we should tackle our country’s growing drug problem.

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Farm workers’ advocates are preparing to march 200 miles up to Albany in the name of better labor conditions, and we think lawmakers should listen.

A group called the Rural Migrant Ministry organized the annual March for Farm Worker Justice, which sets off on May 15 this year, as part of its lobbying efforts for better working and living conditions, overtime pay and more for farm workers across the region. One member of that group described farm workers as “living in fear” of the “strongholds” farmers have on them, and the group has accused state Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport) of failing to address their concerns since becoming majority leader.

But an anonymous website, nyfarmworkerprotectionbill.com provided the farmers’ perspective.

“RMM and others have recruited various celebrities and foodies to support the bill, as well as downstate and New York City legislators, most of whom have never even been to a farm,” the site said. “We believe these individuals have been misled and have not done the proper research to find out the truth about farms, growers, farmworkers and the challenges we face to bring fresh food to as many tables as possible.”

We understand there are different angles to this debate, but we also firmly believe workers of any type, whether they are legally employed or paid off-the-books, should be allotted some basic rights that lawmakers must find ways to put in placew. We are calling on our elected officials to engage stakeholders in this debate and hold a public hearing in which all parties can contribute to the dialogue.

There can be no mutual understanding without communication, and there appears to be a disconnect between farmers and their workers, or even between legislators and the agricultural sector. If everyone sits down together and has a respectful discussion, they may find fertile ground for compromise.

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Discharging homes’ wastewater into sewer systems could keep harmful substances out of our water supply. File photo

Our water supply is pooped.

Hundreds of thousands of homes in Suffolk County run on their own septic systems or cesspools, which leak nitrogen from waste into the soil and, thus, into our groundwater and other water sources. Elevated nitrogen levels are dangerous because they mess with our ecosystem — one effect is promoting algae growth, which decreases the water’s oxygen supply that fish and other creatures need to live and produces toxins and bacteria that are harmful to humans.

Sewers are a more convenient and modern technology for areas with populations at least as dense as Suffolk County. But, more importantly, sewer systems are also a crucial line of defense for our drinking water and the healthy waterways we treasure.

Legislators and community members complain all the time about how Suffolk needs to hook up more properties to sewer systems, but they also say there’s no money to do it. County Executive Steve Bellone’s proposal to charge an additional $1 per 1,000 gallons of water used — and to put those dollars into a special account dedicated to sewering Suffolk — could help.

The funds collected would be used in conjunction with other funding, such as from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $383 million initiative to support clean water infrastructure.

To put Bellone’s proposed surcharge into perspective, that’s $1 for every 50 days of showers for a family of four, based on average water usage numbers from the U.S. Geological Survey. It’s another $1 for roughly every 333 toilet flushes. Add $1 for every 40 loads of laundry in a newer model of washing machine.

For a single-person measurement, each person uses about 80-100 gallons of water each day, according to the federal agency. Those on the higher end of the spectrum, then, would be dishing out $1 every 10 days with the goal of a healthier environment — or just shy of $37 a year.

Reaching deeper into taxpayers’ pockets is not ideal, but there is simply no other way to produce sewer funding of the magnitude Suffolk County needs without asking the public to chip in somehow.

Bellone’s proposal needs state approval before the measure can go onto ballots in November for voters to weigh in. We hope our neighbors would support the surcharge.

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